This invention relates to label removal apparatus for container washing machines, and particularly to such apparatus for handling labels normally pasted or glued on containers and which must be removed before reuse of the containers.
The present invention is an improvement over container washing apparatus earlier disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 605,279, filed Aug. 18, 1975, and assigned in common with this application.
Washing apparatus having known characteristics is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,204, issued Dec. 22, 1964, and assigned in common with this application. In that patent the apparatus conducted containers through several compartments containing hot caustic solution which penetrated the labels and the adhesive and caused the labels to become detached. That apparatus provided one or more troughs, each within the path of travel of the container carriers, for the purpose of accumulating the majority of detached labels and reducing the quantity of lables settling on the bottom of the compartments. Forced fluid circulating means provided in the compartment bottoms and in the troughs operated substantially continuously to remove the accumulation of labels before they could settle and pack, and become difficult to remove.
Another machine for washing bottles has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,960, issued Mar. 4, 1975, and concerns means for removing labels after becoming detached from the containers. In that apparatus the containers are conducted through one or more soaker compartments where the labels are subjected to a washing solution. However, labels are not permitted to escape from the container carrier pockets until the containers have reached a prepared zone where fluid jets flush the labels out of the pockets and off the containers. The detached labels have a high rate of accumulation in a limited capacity zone of that apparatus, and the zone is equipped with fluid circulation nozzles set up to induce label movement out of the machine.